The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Grief

Book Buzz: All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

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Renée Watson, photo credit Shawnte Sims“There’s a moment in the book where Sage learns that grief is like hunger and that she will always be grieving like there’s never going to be a day that we don’t need to eat,…I can have breakfast, and then by dinnertime, I need to eat again, and next week I’m going to need a meal, and three years from now, I’m going to be hungry. That was freeing for me as a person. It wasn’t just a plot point or something to just put in the book. It was really what I needed for myself to understand that I would always miss my mother, or that there will always be some issue that we’re fighting against and standing up for in this nation, and that I can hold all of that. That’s normal and I’m okay.”
  ― Renée Watson, Interview, School Library Journal

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

What booksellers are saying about All the Blues in the Sky

  • The story follows the main character on her journey towards healing after the tragic and untimely death of her best friend. This book really captures what grief looks like. It’s very poignant and moving. Beautiful!.
      ― Sheri Bancroft, Novel., Memphis, Tennessee | BUY

  • All the Blues in the Sky will break your heart and then show you how to piece it back together. Readers will quickly immerse themselves in Sage’s grief as the novel in verse storytelling guides us along the healing process. Watson’s writing is beautiful, uplifting, and deeply sad. But helps reveal that grief is different for each of us, but together we can figure it out. Be warned: Thirteen-year-old grief will hit you differently. You may need tissues. 
      ― Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, Georgia | BUY

  • This beautiful book captures the experience of grief in a way that feels real and easy to connect with. Renée Watson does an amazing job of showing the raw and honest emotions of grief while still making it approachable. AS an an adult who struggles with processing loss, this is a book I was I had when I was younger.
      ― Lupe Penn, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, North Carolina | BUY

About Renée Watson

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her novel All the Blues in the Sky won the Newbery Medal, and Piecing Me Together received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King AwardHer books include the Ryan Hart series, Some Places More Than OthersThis Side of HomeWhat Momma Left Me, Betty Before X, cowritten with Ilyasah Shabazz, Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, and Love Is a Revolution, as well as acclaimed picture books: Summer Is HereMaya’s SongThe 1619 Project: Born on the Water, written with Nikole Hannah-Jones, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, and Harlem’s Little Blackbird, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Renée splits her time between Portland, Oregon and New York City. http://www.reneewatson.net • @reneewauthor

 

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Eating Ashes by Brenda Navarro

Eating Ashes is a haunting, profound examination of the complexities of grief, migration, and neglect. With a startling, arresting narrative voice, our unnamed protagonist spirals through memories of her brother before his tragic death, until she develops a compulsion toward touching and tasting her brother’s ashes. Never before have I encountered a book that so perfectly captures the way a mind twists in the throes of grief, the way our thoughts spit and claw and recur, trying to fill a void. This book is beautiful, and sad, and beautiful.

Eating Ashes by Brenda Navarro, (List Price: $24.99, Liveright, 9781324096085, January 2026)

Reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Next of Kin by Gabrielle Hamilton

From the outside, Gabrielle Hamilton’s life appears to be the very measure of success – acclaimed New York restaurateur, TV star, and award-winning writer. But underneath that, as Next of Kin lays bare, is an absolute trainwreck of a family life. Having been brought up by parents who valued individualism and independence over love and care, and left to forge her own path at a remarkably young age, Hamilton subsequently became estranged from both her parents and her sister for many years – until the death by suicide of her older brother led her to re-examine the mythologies on which her family’s story was built. Compelling, compassionate, and brutally honest, Hamilton paints a vivid portrait of a family that could at times be both charismatic and cruel. If nothing else, reading Next of Kin will make you very thankful to have a normal family.

Next of Kin by Gabrielle Hamilton, (List Price: $30, Random House, 9780399590092, October 2025)

Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

This was a sweet story about death and life and the beauty in both. The sweetness of life’s little moments and memories made more precious in loss. A reminder to treasure all the love you can find in life.

The Leaving Room by Amber McBride, (List Price: $19.99, Fiewel & Friends, 9781250908087, October 2025)

Reviewed by Victoria Thatcher-Milton, The Bottom in Knoxville, Tennessee

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Where Are You, Brontë? by Tomie dePaola

Who doesn’t love Tomie dePaola? Sad that this is his last book, but it is so fitting that he demonstrates how sad he was over his loving pet, Bronte. This master storyteller hits all the right notes in describing why and how he felt this way. Brilliant! Would be a great healing book for young and old.

Where Are You, Brontë? by Tomie dePaola, (List Price: $19.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781534418509, May 2025)

Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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After Image by Jenny George

Naturalistic and atmospheric, these poems absolutely enveloped me.

After Image by Jenny George, (List Price: $17, Copper Canyon Press, 9781556596957, October 2024)

Reviewed by Andrew Preston, Coffee Tree Books in Morehead, Kentucky

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Washing My Mother’s Body by Joy Harjo

A beautifully illustrated edition of one of Joy Harjo’s greatest poems – this book is a celebration of a mother’s life and a wrestling with the grief that comes after loss. Dana Tiger’s watercolors perfectly complement the emotions of the poem, elevating the text to something truly special. Full of emotion and memory, this book is a wonderful ode to a life – now gone but never forgotten.

Washing My Mother’s Body by Joy Harjo, (List Price: $17.99, Ten Speed Press, 9781984861368, April 2025)

Reviewed by Caleb Masters, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

Turning thirteen is a milestone filled with exciting possibilities: movies, treats, all-night giggles, and the promise of teenage adventures. For Sage, however, this time is overshadowed by the profound loss of her best friend. The friend who knew all her secrets, shared dreams for the future, and was an irreplaceable part of her life is now gone, leaving Sage to navigate a complex web of emotions. Grief is a deeply personal journey, and for a young teen like Sage, it can be especially confusing and overwhelming. How do you acknowledge Your Feelings? Everyone processes loss differently. She seeks counseling groups, a safe space to share feelings and hear from others who have experienced similar losses. Creating a Memory Box of her and her best friend. Grieving the loss of a best friend is an incredibly challenging experience, especially for someone as young as Sage. However, by acknowledging her feelings, seeking support, practicing self-care, and finding ways to memorialize her friend, Sage can navigate her grief while continuing to grow and learn. Remember, grief is not about forgetting the loved one but learning to live with the loss in a way that honors their memory while moving forward with life.

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson, (List Price: $17.99, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 9781547605897, February 2025)

Reviewed by VaLinda Payne-Miller, Turning Page Bookshop in Goose Greek, South Carolina

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All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

The story of a young girl haunted by the grief of losing her best friend. The book permeates with sadness while Sage navigates daily life without her friend and the guilt she feels for her part in her friend’s death. A beautifully written novel in verse showing us it is ok to be sad, and sometimes it’s a long journey to hope and healing.

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson, (List Price: $17.99, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 9781547605897, February 2025)

Reviewed by Rayna Nielsen, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri

Beautifully illustrated, this is a compelling story of a boy with a very important question he needs to know the answer to. Loss, grief, bravery, and love are a staple here. Sometimes we just need to “know.”

Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri, (List Price: $19.99, HarperAlley, 9780063277168, October 2024)

Reviewed by DM Capriola, Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia

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The Manicurist’s Daughter by Susan Lieu

Lieu raises the bar, taking a complex immigrant story from interesting, past compelling to unput-downable gut-level honesty. Her journey to come to terms with her mother’s death is complicated by cultural patterns, emotional barriers, generational trauma, and her own mental health. She is unstinting in her portrayals of family and herself. Prepare to rethink what you know about families and trauma.

The Manicurist’s Daughter by Susan Lieu, (List Price: $30, Celadon Books, 9781250835048, March 2024)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The Brush by Hernández-Pachón, Eliana

Powerful and devastating. The language is so concise and brilliantly moving. Every word makes a massive impact in this slim, arresting poem.

The BrushThe Brush by Eliana Hernández-Pachón, (List Price: $17, Archipelago, 9781953861863, March 2024)

Reviewed by Emily Tarr, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama

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Spotlight On: Rabbit Heart by Kristine S. Ervin

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Kristine S. Ervin, photo credit Jon Erivn

Some stories I’ve told again and again.

Like how the detectives stood in our kitchen, the table piled high with tackle boxes and plastic bags. I was eight then, and they pulled strands of hair from our scalps and held our fingers in their gloved hands. How tiny the arcs of my fingerprints must have been, each one placed in a square on the card, their lines like cresting waves. I remember holding it up to the light above our kitchen table, as if it were a map of some kind, but I never thought to look for letters or for symbols.

But other stories are unsayable. I’ve tried to write about Nina Athanassiades again and again, but the language fails me each time. I tell myself to write around it. To cluster those pieces. But they are simply too beautiful to touch.
― Kristine S. Ervin, Interview, Crime Reads

Rabbit Heart by Kristine S. Ervin

What booksellers are saying about Rabbit Heart

  • I could never anticipate how satisfying the ending of this story unfolded. Reading this reminded me of The Postcard by Anne Berest; jaw-dropping simplicity and sincerity directly from a person who survived a major trauma inflicted on their family as truth is revealed that you assume would be lost to the passage of time… Books like this give me hope that beauty can truly overcome even the direst of circumstances. How proud her mother would be of her for pulling together such a triumph of a book: to honor memories of the before, to allow space to heal, and to give voice and power back to those who deserve it..
      ― Alissa Redmond, South Main Book Company in Salisbury, North Carolina | BUY

  • It was so beautiful, I could barely breathe. So compelling, I couldn’t put it down—but I ached the entire read. Rabbit Heart pulled power and beauty out of such grief–it’s a work of exceptional writing.
      ― Kendra Gayle Lee, Bookish Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia | BUY

  • What James Ellroy’s My Dark Places did for motherless sons, Kristine Ervin’s Rabbit Heart does for motherless daughters. And then some. This memoir is a disturbing, poetic, heartrending examination of how her mother’s murder hit her life like an earthquake, with tremors lingering until the present day..
      ― Sam Miller, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky | BUY

About Kristine S. Ervin

Kristine S. Ervin grew up in a small suburb of Oklahoma City and now teaches creative writing at West Chester University, outside Philadelphia. She holds an MFA in poetry from New York University and a PhD in creative writing and literature, with a focus in nonfiction, from the University of Houston.

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We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

In We Are Okay Nina LaCour carefully reveals Marin’s grief and coming of age with depth and clarity. LaCour’s work is striking and memorable, with a singular attention to detail and arresting emotional honesty. This novel is beautifully executed and will resonate with every one of its readers.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, (List Price: $17.99, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 9780525425892, February 2017)

Reviewed by Johanna Albrecht, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

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Rabbit Heart by Kristine S. Ervin

I could never anticipate how satisfying the ending of this story unfolded. Reading this reminded me of The Postcard by Anne Berest; jaw-dropping simplicity and sincerity directly from a person who survived a major trauma inflicted on their family as truth is revealed that you assume would be lost to the passage of time… Books like this give me hope that beauty can truly overcome even the direst of circumstances. How proud her mother would be of her for pulling together such a triumph of a book: to honor memories of the before, to allow space to heal, and to give voice and power back to those who deserve it.

Rabbit Heart by Kristine S. Ervin, (List Price: $27, Counterpoint, 9781640096370, March 2024)

Reviewed by Alissa Redmond, South Main Book Company in Salisbury, North Carolina

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